Tuesday, January 31, 2017

I love a great casserole that can be a one dish dinner, Italian Meatball Casserole is one of those dishes. Just add a great salad and some garlic bread and you will have a great meal. This is a great casserole for a family dinner, or a covered dish dinner. I took the casserole to several covered dish dinners and folks have always loved it and the dish was always clean when it came back home.

Monday, January 30, 2017

I remember watching my Grandmother very carefully place a plate on top of the iron skillet and flipping it over to reveal the beautiful Pineapple Upside Down Cake. All the wonderful caramel that drizzled over the cake and then her telling me, now we have to wait for a bit and let it cool before we slice it. Today when I make this cake I am using my Grandmothers iron skillet that she used along with the family recipe that has been passed on to me. Everytime I make the cake it brings back wonderful memories of spending time in the kitchen with my Grandmother.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

We have really been enjoying some beautiful weather here this past week. I am actually sitting on my back porch watching Max chase a squirrel. I know that some really cold weather will come our way but this sure is nice!This is the first weekend in a long time that we have not included food for the game, but the really big game (Super Bowl) will come the next week. I am planning one of my favorites on Sunday this week and a new recipe on Tuesday. When making our meal plan this week I won't have to buy much at the market, most of it will come from the pantry and the freezer, that's one of the advantages to meal planning.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Hello everyone, it is our last party for January and where did this month go? I always get excited for the last party of the month when we feature our Top Ten Post from last week, we really have an outstanding Top Ten this month so be sure and stop by to take a look at their post. I am so excited to see what all of you are bringing to share with us today, I just know it will all be fabulous!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

When we make these little Bacon Planks I either have to make a double batch or hide the batch until ready to serve. These little Planks seem to just disappear faster than I can make them. These crunchy little tidbits are a great savory and sweet treat that are easy to make and very versatile. Hope you enjoy our Bacon Planks as much as we do.

Monday, January 23, 2017

We love our chili here at the cottage and many times when we have a big game day for either football or basketball it is chili on the menu. These are some of our very favorite chili recipes that we use for our Game Day Chili Buffet. Of course we have to add some good dips, corn bread and desserts. I love to just set it all out on a buffet table and let everyone help themselves as the day and the games move along. We always have a seperate beverage bar area set up with everyone's favorite beverage and for me that's lot's of sweet tea!

Saturday, January 21, 2017

We had a great week here at the cottage, we were actually able to do some winter gardening, that's always a fun break in the cold winter. Last week I used the last of my onions in the cold bin from last seasons onions, so it won't be long until we will be getting fresh spring onions. We have been hungry for some Bar B Que so I am putting one of my most favorite winter Bar B Que recipes on the meal plan this week. I am also going to have one of my favorite pies this week, I'm excited and can't wait to enjoy some of this awesome food!

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

I am so happy that you could make it to the party today. I know that some of you are trying to recover from serious ice storms and others are still in the middle of winter.It is nice to get together with friends in a cozy area to share our life and the foods that we enjoy with our friends and families. I love that we have so many different cultures and different parts of the world that come and share fabulous recipes with us.Every week we enjoy the very best there is to offer! I can't wait to see what you are bringing to share with us today, so lets get this party started!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

When there is 16 inches of snow on the ground in some parts of the country, one wonders how we could think of working outdoors in a vegetable garden. We are so fortunate to live in an area that although we do get some extreme temperatures in January and February we still have some good days that we can get out and do some gardening.

Monday, January 16, 2017

This awesome recipe for Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs and Sauce has been to many events and many weeknight family dinners. This is an easy recipe and can be put together real fast and can be served over noodles, mashed potatoes or rice it is real comfort food. I tried to remember how many years this recipe has been in my recipe box and best I can tell, it was in the early 60's when I first got the recipe. At that time we just cooked it on top of the stove and I am sure you could still do that, but today it is just easier to put it in the Slow Cooker.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

We are spending a lot of time outdoors right now in the garden.We usually have a break in our weather this time of the year and we are out planting onions and some of our other spring vegetables. My neighbor gave us a large basket of apples so this week I will be using some of those amazing apples in our meal plans. My husband has asked for his favorite breakfast so we will be having that for our Weekend Brunch. I sure hope you are making your meal plans and enjoying more time and money by doing so.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Hurry into the cottage and stand by the fire it is cold outside. We are all around the fireplace sipping some nice hot cocoa and exchanging recipes. We will have a fantastic table of food here today from the greatest cooks on the planet and I sure am excited that you could come and share with us. We are busy here at the cottage making garden plans for the spring gardens and re-organizing the house after the holidays. I can't wait to try some of your recipes today, so lets get this party started!

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

There are so many recipes that we enjoy for our left over ham, and Nana's Ham and Potato Casserole is a family favorite. So easy to put together, and in just a little while you have a great casserole for the family and the left overs are gone. Often times when I am making my meal plans I will plan the left overs as a part of the meal plan, if you are going to be cooking anyway go ahead and make enough for another meal and take a night off.This recipe has all the ingredients of a full meal, all that is needed, a hungry family.

Monday, January 9, 2017

When this soup starts to cook you can smell it all through the kitchen, and it smells fantastic! It is so nice to be able to come home after a busy day, open the door and know that this delicious Tex Mex soup is waiting for you. This is a great blend of Tex Mex flavors and one that our family really enjoys. I made this soup for a group of friends the other day and they all loved it, I sure hope you enjoy it as well!

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Welcome to the cottage and our first meal plan of 2017. Cold weather has arrived here at the cottage, we have not had a snowfall yet but it will come anyday. When it gets this cold I think of comfort meals and baking in the oven that keeps the kitchen cozy. I love to use the root vegetables from our garden that we have stored in our cold bins. We also use our canned vegetables that we worked hard to can last summer, it is always good when the snow is on the ground. Come on in and have a cup of hot cocoa with me while we plan this meal plan.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Happy 2017, so good to see you here at our first party this year! We have had a great holiday season with family and friends with lots of fun and wonderful food. We have all enjoyed some of the awesome recipes that you bring every week to share with us and are looking forward to what you are bringing today. I can't wait to see what you have in your basket today, lets get the party started!

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

I love an Old Fashioned Carrot Salad, it is really good anytime of the year, but especially in the winter when the other garden vegetables are not available. This is a very easy salad to make and one that is very kid friendly. Our kids always just love this salad and if you can get kids to eat veggies that is great! I remember my Grandmother and my Mother making this salad and I have made it for many years, it is one of our favorites.

Monday, January 2, 2017

I enjoyed my very first bowl of Cincinnati Chili at Skyline Chili in Cincinnati many years ago. I had only known a couple of different kinds of Chili at that point, a Texas Orginal Chili and New Mexico Chili, so the introduction of this Chili that could be enjoyed 1 to 5 different ways was very interesting to me. I really fell in love with Cincinnati Chili and have continued to make it through the years, I even have a recipe for it in my cookbook, Miz Helen's Kitchen Table. This recipe today is one that has evolved through the years and one that is a favorite. We call this Cincinnati Chili Nana's Way.

Miz Helen

Cookbook Author Recipe Developer Organic Gardner

Welcome to my Country Cottage, come on in and make yourself at home, stay and have a cup of tea. We will be sharing, Miz Helen's Kitchen where we have simple family friendly, meal plans, and recipes. Other features include, The Garden Gate, Quiet Time, Day Trips and Max Time. The blog is the home of Full Plate Thursday and The Texas Star Chili Cook-Off. Enjoy your time here, leave me a note I love hearing from you!

Max A Resident At The Cottage

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